Michigan basketball blows big lead in 71-62 loss to rival Ohio State

Michigan coach John Beilein reacts to his team's blown double-digit lead in the second half, when Ohio State changed its defense en route to a 71-62 on Monday, Dec. 4, 2017.
George Sipple, Detroit Free Press

The Wolverines also blew a 20-point first-half lead losing, 71-62, to Ohio State, at Value City Arena on Monday night. The Buckeyes ended the game on a 15-2 run and outscored Michigan, 41-19, in the second half. Michigan made one of its final 10 field goals.

All points

Freshman Eli Brooks started at point guard and scored five points early in the first half for the Wolverines. He finished with eight points.

Zavier Simpson replaced Brooks and scored seven points in the first half, matching his point production over the previous seven games. Simpson finished with 11 points, his highest total since scoring 13 points in a 72-65 win over Central Michigan on Nov. 13. He had scored three points U-M's past three games. He hit a pair of free throws to tie the game, 56-56, with 6:33 left.

Michigan coach John Beilein didn't play graduate transfer Jaaron Simmons in Saturday's 69-55 win over Indiana. But Simmons responded nicely with three assists and a rebound in seven first-half minutes. It was the highest assist total for Simmons since he had five in the 61-47 win over Southern Miss on Nov. 16.

Missing Matthews

Charles Matthews didn't do much in his first two Big Ten games. He missed five of of his fist six shots against the Buckeyes and finished with four points. He got into early foul trouble and finished with eight points in the 69-55 win over Indiana on Saturday.

Mr. Robinson

Duncan Robinson's shooting struggles continued. He missed six of seven shots against the Buckeyes and has made four of his past 23 attempts over the past three games. He shot 2-for-10 against Indiana on Saturday and 1-for-6 in the loss to North Carolina.

Poole Dip

Early effort

Michigan used a 9-0 run to take a 36-17 lead with 4:05 left in the first half. A 3-pointer by Wagner gave U-M a 43-23 lead with 1:31 left as it used balanced scoring in the first half led by Wagner's 12. Michigan outscored Ohio State 15-0 off turnovers, 20-10 in the paint and 11-3 on second-chance points in the first half.